14  Well-being

We are all here to grow as scientists, leaders, and people by pursuing ambitious research goals. However, that should never come at the cost of your well-being. Your mental and physical health are by far the most important consideration in all that you do while in our lab. Moreover, success should not come at the cost of maintaining your interests/hobbies or healthy relationships in your life. In fact, you are more likely to be successful if you take care of yourself and give time to the things outside of work that matter to you. Below are some general guidelines on well-being, but every situation is unique, and I am always open to discussion on this topic, so please don’t hesitate to ask.

If you are not feeling well, either physically or mentally, take the time off you need to seek out help and take care of yourself (see the “Need Help?” section above for pointers to specific services). If you are struggling with depression or anxiety and wondering: “Is it okay to go see a counsellor instead of running a participant this afternoon” the answer is Absolutely! Get the help that you need. If you have an acute situation that requires help, take the day (or a few days) off with no questions asked. If you are going to be out for more than 3 days or miss a lab meeting, just let me know so that I know you are okay—no need to give details if you don’t want to, it is sufficient to email and say that you have a personal health situation. If you need to take more substantial amounts of time off, you can work with me to facilitate this.

Being an undergraduate, grad student, or postdoc can be stressful. Moreover if you are a member of the lab for multiple years, the chance that one or more significant/stressful life situations will arise is high. When this happens the top priority is taking care of yourself and dealing with the situation. If possible, communicate with me to let me know that you are dealing with something and approximately how much time you will need off. You can share as much or as little detail as you feel comfortable with. These situations are stressful so also make sure you are taking care of yourself and getting help if needed.